Lyman mold exchange

[superior]

Does anyone know If Lyman will exchange a mold? My 314299 drops smaller diameter boolits than both of my Lee molds and accuracy is diminished accordingly.
I just e-mailed them with my request but in the mean time I just wanted to check to see if anyone here has done such an exchange. I'll be willing to pay any reasonable fees associated with the replacement.

[mooman76]

You didn't mention what they were dropping at. They have sertain tolerances and if it is not within those specs sure they will. My educated guess would be yes they will anyway but the new one might not drop any better. I believe the usual tolerances are within .002 but I am not positive. There are things you can do to make them drop a little bigger.

[superior]

It drops .3134 on the bands and .3022 on the nose with straight ww. I would rather not beagle and I'm not confident that lapping will improve my situation. My Lee molds drop larger.
I thought the 314299 would drop larger...WRONG!

[Calehedron]

.3134 with WW is pretty close to .314. The moulds are designed for using Lyman #2 alloy with alot more tin and just a bit more antimony to reduce shrinkage. I have had the same issues here and there and have resorted to lapping some a bit. Honestly, I think that Lyman should drop the #2 alloy and make moulds for WW alloy and then *if* you do decide to use a #2, taracorp mag, or linotype alloy, they would just be a bit bigger and could be sized down.

[superior]

Well Im hoping that since I told them that my LEE molds provide superior accuracy that they might be convinced enough to make a concerted effort to keep my business, especially since I paid considerably more for the Lyman product and as far as I'm concerned, received considerably less satisfaction.

[mooman76]

That is pretty close to what you should be dropping. What if they swap it for you and the bullets come out even smaller?

[leadhead]

I returned a 311284 mold to them and they replaced it with one
that was worse yet. There QC sucks............ I've had it with lyman molds.
Denny

[dwtim]

Really? I bought a defective 358477 last year. I had a non-defective replacement back in my hands in three days--which means they turned it around the day they received it.

I only wish this thread had appeared two weeks ago. I would have bought that mold right up. Both of my Enfields do just fine with .313".

[superior]

I did address this subject weeks ago. The thread was entitled Lyman molds, outstanding quality. I was impressed with the craftsmanship and ease of use, however, now I'm dissapointed with the dimensions. If they send me a new mold, I'm sure they will try not to send a smaller one. After all, they should be aware of the reason for return.

[leadhead]

Don't bet on it..... That mold should drop a minimum of .314 dia.
Mine was replaced and one cavity dropped .309 and the other
at .310 Fantastic................
Denny

[mrbill2]

The first mold I sent back took 4 wks. for them to replace it with a mold that cast smaller than the one I sent. Took 11 wks. to have that mold replaced. They even changed the design twice while we were sending molds back and forth. The bullet on the left is what the original 311644 look like. The one in the center was the first redesign mold. They then sent me yet another redesigned mold, that's the one on the right. Buy RCBS.
Mr. Bill

[superior]

Awwww...POOP! Monday I'm gonna get them on the phone for sure!

[sniper7369]

I've been less than impressed with Lyman molds myself. I have a 452374 that started falling apart the first time I used it. Sprue plate flew off on the fourth pour, one of the wooden handles started sliding off a few pours later after I fixed the sprue plate, the boolits it drops are small and extremely out of round.
Needless to say it sits in a drawer collecting dust now while I drop nice round bullets from my Lee mold that was less than half the price of the Lyman.

[GabbyM]

The OP's mold , as has been stated, doesn't seem that out of spec. You're looking at tenths their. Nothing a bit of lapping wouldn't cure. You'd want to file some lead off the gas check shank part of the lap bullet so as not to open the check base up. Beagle the mold and drop some bullets the size you want then use them for laps. You can shim just the bottom if you only want to enlarge the nose. You won't get a larger cavity than the lap. Main draw back with Beagling a gas check mold is getting the check base to large to easily fit a gas check. Lapping only the parts you want larger is a better long term solution.

I've sent a couple molds back to Lyman and they re cut the cavities to open them up. They did a good job on them. The ones I returned to RCBS they just replaced but I received good molds with test cast bullets included.

I have a Lyman #429215 here that was returned to me with re cut cavities. I need to post it up for sale as I bought another to replace it instead of waiting the six or eight weeks on this one to come back.

sniper7369: That spur plate pivot pin is supposed to be secured from rotation with a set screw from the side. If that's not taped through your screw could be stopping short. But the ot of round and small cavities would be cause to return the mold. Go to Lyman's web site and the customer service addresses along with instructions of returns is on their.

In my experience. You can lap a mold cavity round fairly easily. But once it gets round it takes much work to open it up more. Any more that .001 and you're in for a chore. I've cut .003” out of a Saeco 45 caliber but the lube groves are not sharp anymore. So in hind sight I'd of sent it back if over .002” under at the largest diameter.

I always sent mine in with sample bullets cast from 2/6 foundry alloy along with the dimensions I would like from the bullet. The last one I sent was with shims still in the mold with bullets that were still undersized. The aluminum tape was .002". Also sent copies of the sales invoice with item circles. If you buy online you can get copies of your receipts after logging into your account.

[superior]

Yes, I bought from Midway, so I'll retrieve the copy. I'd be happy if they would open up the mold and I'm not in a big hurry. I'm just curious to see how they stand behind their products. Alot of future purchases are riding on it.

[Lead melter]

Put all these problems in order, then put them all in one post, and I could put my name on it. This is why I personally think the name should be changed to Lie-man.

[mrbill2]

I like the little sticker in the box. "This Quality Lyman Product Was Inspected By Cathy XX
Date 3-9-09. What do they check?
Mr. Bill2